BGPS’s Top 10 Christmas Gifts For The Gay Who Has Everything

Christmas is nearly upon us and while some people have already finished all of their Christmas shopping, others (such as me) are only just starting. So if you need a few ideas for what to give, we’ve pulled together a list of 10 things that should make someone very happy on Christmas day. Many of them are – as you’d expect for a site like this – linked to film, but some we just liked.

They range from festive sweaters to ethical porn, and from under £10 to over £1,000 – so there’s certainly a variety to choose from! Take a look below for some great gifts we think you should be buying for the gays you love below.

Tom of Finland – DVD/Blu-ray Double Play Limited Edition
Dome Karukoski’s biopic of famed homoerotic artist Tom Of Finland has had plenty of acclaim at film festivals and amongst general audiences (you can read our review here). It’s recently been released on DVD, Blu-ray and VoD in the UK, via Peccadillo Pictures, and that includes in a Limited Edition version that has the film on both DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a double-sided poster. With a cover featuring a classic Tom Of Finland image, it’ll also look stylish on the shelf. So if you know someone who’d like to know more about Touko Laaksonen (aka Tom Of Finland), this is a classy way to help them out.

Tom Of Finland Vodka
While we’re on the subject of Tom Of Finland, do you fancy some officially licensed vodka? We’re not 100% sure what vodka has to do with the artist best known for his black and white images of uniformed men and bikers with unbelievably large bulges, but it would certainly make for an interesting addition to the liquor cabinet. Sadly for us, we haven’t tried any, but it’s vodka, so we’re going to go out on a limb and say that it’ll go well with some ice and/or coke. Truth is though, if you’re giving this as a gift, it’s for the coolness of the bottle more than what’s inside it.

Quentin Crisp – The Last Word (An Autobiography)
Not many people publish the final volume of their autobiography almost 20 years after they died. However, it’s taken that long to transcribe the last volume of Quentin Crisp’s autobiography, which was dictated to his friend shortly before his death at the age of 90 in 1999. While The Naked Civil Servant is a classic look at gay life when sex between men was illegal, and How To Become A Virgin focuses on the time after Crisp gained international attention in the 1970s (partly thanks to the classic adaptation of The Naked Civil Servant, starring John Hurt), The Last Word fills in the gaps and looks back at his life in a more self-aware way than Quentin was usually known for. That said, even in his final days he’s still an avowed contrarian).

There’s also a growing awareness that despite being known as a ‘stately homo’, he’d begun to realise that transgender would be a better description for him than gay, and that perhaps he’d long been mistaken in presuming other queer people felt the same way he did about things. It’s an interesting and very worthwhile postscript to the life of a man who may have been challenging and problematic but was always a fascinating figure. It’ll also make a great gift for anyone who has an appreciation of gay history.

LGBT: San Francisco – The Daniel Nicoletta Photographs
This brilliant coffee table book from Reel Art Press collects together images by Daniel Nicoletta, the man responsible for some of the most iconic images of Harvey Milk, who has documented LGBT life in San Francisco from the late 60s onwards. Starting with a focus on Milk (and some neat comparisons between the real events and the recreations for Gus Van Sant’s 2008 biopic), the book then broadens out to the kaleidoscope of Frisco gay life, from celebrities such as Divine to the vibrancy of the street, not forgetting the emergence of AIDS. It’s a fascinating book that manages to be both art and history, which will certainly give added culture point to anyone you buy it for. Nicoletta has a wonderful eye, resulting in a truly arresting book.

Gay Christmas Movies
There are plenty of great gay-themed films out there, but for the festive period you may know someone who’d appreciate a Christmassy gay movie – and luckily there are a few out there. Available on DVD in the US and VoD worldwide is Scrooge & Marley, a modern-day, gay take on A Christmas Carol. Available in both the US and UK on DVD is the comedy Shared Rooms, which tells three interconnected tales set during the week between Christmas and New Year – including one tale where the two characters are naked the entire time. Or perhaps if you want something light but warm and fuzzy, there’s the rom-com Make The Yuletide Gay, about a young man who goes back in the closet when he heads home for the holidays, but then has to deal with his boyfriend unexpectedly turning up at his parents’ home.

Absolute Cult Christmas JumpersClick to head to the Absolute Cult Christmas shop
In the last few years, Christmas jumpers seem to have taken over the world, and people having been going out of their way to find the naffest and most embarrassing ones to wear. However, for those who still want to look a bit cool (& a tad nerdy), Absolute Cult has you covered, with a range of officially licensed Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, Harry Potter and other Christmas tops. They feature a mix of trendy and/or witty designs, that allow you to look festive while also looking good. So whether it’s for yourself or for someone else to make them extra Christmassy, it’s well worth having a look at what’s on offer at the Absolute Cult Christmas shop. There’s a great variety – you can even get a Nightmare On Elm Street Christmas t-shirt!

Justice League Police WatchBuy now from WatchShop.com
Although the Justice League movie might not have been the gargantuan hit Warner Bros. was hoping, if you know someone’s who’s a big DC Comics fans – and you’ve got £250 to spare on a gift for them – there’s the Police Justice League Watch. It features the Police “Adder” case with unique antique stainless-steel casing and a smoke grey mineral glass cover with a black dial featuring Justice League detailing. The watch features a multifunction movement with dual time zone tracker, and is fastened with a black silicon strap with stainless steel inserts. The watch is supplied with Justice League specific packaging, as well as individually numbered metal certificates of authenticity, and each watch is laser etched with the corresponding limited-edition number.

Dekkoo – Gay Streaming ServiceClick here to head over to Dekkoo on Amazon.co.uk
If you know someone who likes gay entertainment but has already seen every LGBT title on Netflix, it’s worth considering buying them a subscription to Dekkoo. The LGBT-centric streaming service has a wide range of queer films (including plenty of really good ones, and quite a few sexy ones as well), as well as some great web series and short films. It’s also been producing/releasing an increasing amount of exclusive content, most of which has been well worth watching. It promises a larger library of gay streaming content than either Netflix or Amazon Prime. In the UK, you can get it as an add-on for Amazon Prime for £7.99 per month, or via Dekkoo.com for $9.99 per month.

Noel Alejandro Erotic FilmsClick here to head over to Noel Alejandro’s website
We’ve reviewed a couple of Noel Alejandro’s movies on BigGayPictureShow.com, as they’re a rather fascinating mixture of short film and pornography. They are unabashedly hardcore and erotic, but they prize filmmaking skill and creating a sense of intimacy as much as showing erections, BJs and screwing. As Noel says, it’s ‘not about sex only but also about life and existence’. Whatever it’s about, it is incredibly hot. As a result they’d make an unexpected and exceptionally sexy Christmas gift for someone you’d like to spend a rather naughty Christmas with – it’s a way to give porn, without actually giving porn! The films range from a unique take on having sex with the Cable Guy, to an oddly melancholic ghost story – complete with hardcore sex with a spook! The films are available from Noel’s website either individually or in packages offering a range of the ethically produced adult productions.

Donate To An LGBT Charity (You May Be Able To Get A Gift Too)
Some people really do have pretty much everything they need, so what’s the point of giving them more stuff for Christmas? So why not donate to an LGBT charity instead, and do it in the name of the person you would have given a present to otherwise? As well as the bigger, well known charities (e.g. Stonewall and the Terrence Higgins Trust in the UK, or The Trevor Project and GLAAD in the US), there are thousands of smaller charities doing all sorts of great for the LGBT community. Most areas will have at least one local organisation that could probably do with some cash, and there also those that concentrate on specific, underrepresented parts of the community, so you could find one that’s close to their heart.

If they’re the sort of person who’ll sulk unless they have at least something to unwrap, some charities also have shops or gifts you can buy and support their work. For example, the British HIV/AIDS charity, the Terrence Higgins Trust has a range of exclusive, signed prints from top artists including Tracey Emin and Anish Kappoor. They cost over £1,000 each, so you’ll need plenty of spare cash, but it’s a great way to get a very exclusive gift and help the work of a great charity at the same time.